


for the right reasons

by bestthreemonths



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:08:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestthreemonths/pseuds/bestthreemonths
Summary: After experiencing heartbreak on the most public stage, Alex Morgan gets a second chance at love as the Bachelorette.





	for the right reasons

**Author's Note:**

> this one's for the birthday girl. kelley, i mean. duh.

“Quiet on the set!” a voice shouts. Suddenly, Alex feels completely alone. The hair and wardrobe people who had just been tending to her have vanished, seemingly in the blink of an eye, and per the director’s instruction, the set, which had been buzzing with activity just moments prior, is so silent that Alex is sure everyone can hear the uneasy grumble in her stomach. She’s not typically a starvation diet kind of girl, but the sparkling red dress she’d painstakingly chosen for this moment had felt a little tight over her midsection when she tried it on this morning, so it had been a day of almonds and herbal tea to carry her through. She probably couldn’t have eaten a real meal if she tried with all the butterflies in her stomach. It was only 6 months ago she had stood at this very spot in a wildly different position.

Oddly, being on the other side was less nerve-wracking. She knew she was competing with 26 other girls for one man’s affection and her odds weren’t great. It wasn’t that different from going on a blind date, which she’s had plenty of experience with, barely any of it positive. No, it wasn’t till after her first one-on-one date that she’d felt any kind of nerves. After spending time with James on a date that felt tailor-made for her, she was finally convinced she had met her life partner, and she was suddenly terrified that he’d choose someone else. But he never gave her any reason to worry. She got the first impression rose and one of the earlier one-on-one dates. He sought her out at cocktail parties, a fact that made half the girls in the house seethe with envy. There was no rose ceremony where she felt she was anywhere near the chopping block, and her name was always called comfortably early.

The most emotional she felt was a few weeks before the end, when her best friend in the house, Jen, told her she hadn’t really connected with James, despite him pulling her to talk several times between the group date she was on and the cocktail parties. When she was sitting on Jen’s bed, tears streaming down her face as she watched her pack, Jen had knelt down and held Alex’s chin in her hands. “He just wanted to talk about you, Al,” she said. “He adores you. As he should. Just promise me I can be maid of honor at the wedding and you’ll hook me up with his cutest best man?”

She felt so comfortable with him, in fact, that she invited him to stay the night with her when they visited her hometown, not far from the mansion they call home base. And he invited her to spend the night when they visited his hometown, a tiny town in Rhode Island with a population of 724. When it came to fantasy suites, taking him up on the offer was a no-brainer. It wasn’t until she watched the social media reaction when the show aired that she even considered how it would look to outsiders. She was following her heart. She was in love, and so was he. She definitely hadn’t considered that he could be doing or saying anything close to that with Abbey or Meg, the two women remaining at fantasy suites.

Which is why when she showed up at the final location where he would propose to one lucky lady, it never occurred to her that she could possibly be the one going home alone. Her dress was a demure white gown. Surely being styled in a bridal look meant her chances were great. Before then, she hadn’t understood how the women who were turned down didn’t see it coming. It’s so obvious to everyone at home when the guy has a strong connection to both, but in Alex’s eyes, there was no possible way he could have what they had with Meg.

As it turned out, maybe he didn’t. The wound was still healing when she went to Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve with Jen and some of the other girls from her season. There were rumors among the group that James and Meg were finding it hard to adjust to post-Bachelor life, but Alex tried not to pay them any mind. She was moving on, finding herself, moving to New York with Jen as soon as her lease in Fullerton was up. She would find a job there involving her passion in life: teaching and mentoring kids.

The last thing she was expecting was for James to show up to the party. She was dancing with some of the girls she had met from other seasons when a strong pair of hands grabbed her waist. She spun around, ready to tell off this stranger for touching her, when she found herself face-to-face with James.

“Hey,” he said. “Can we talk?”

They didn’t do as much talking as they did kissing and undressing each other in his hotel room, but when morning came, she saw clearly through her hangover that while she was trying to take steps forward in her life, he was an enormous step back.

Two weeks later, when she got the call to be the Bachelorette, she knew she’d made the right decision to leave that morning without leaving him so much as a note.

\----------

Kelley is fairly sure she’s never been surrounded by so many men in her life, and she’s definitely sure it’s not something she wants to get used to. Still, she would have been a fool to turn down the opportunity to work as a field producer on this season of The Bachelorette. It’s an incestuous business, and the Bachelor franchise is even more incestuous when it comes to hiring, so being hired from outside was nothing short of a miracle, even if she does sort of have an in with Allie Long, a current producer who knew Kelley’s most recent ex-girlfriend from middle school. 

Training (or “indoctrination camp” as Allie lovingly calls it) was hell on earth, but she knows it’s paying off when after only about an hour of time with these men, she has them practically eating out of the palm of her hand.

None of them seem nervous, though it might be the handle of vodka they’re passing around the back of the limo and drinking like water. They offered a swig to Kelley a few times before realizing she wouldn’t take them up on it. She had mono for a month in high school, she’s never taking her chances again.

“So I’ve been thinking about my pickup line,” one guy says quietly. It’s clear he doesn’t want the other guys to notice. Kelley squints to assess him. Blonde, Ken doll good looks. Tall. And doesn’t seem like a complete and total jackass… yet. He’ll definitely make it past tonight.

“What’s your name again?”

“Brandon.” Could he have a less memorable name? Kelley knows she has her work cut out for her.

“Okay, Brandon,” Kelley says, crossing her arms. “Lay it on me.”

“I might be a screenwriter, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to my script.”

Kelley pauses a beat. “Did you get that from Real Housewives?”

“Is it that obvious?” he asks. “My mom and sister are obsessed.”

“It’s not only obvious, it’s awful,” Kelley says, glad that her instant recognition of the line doesn’t sacrifice her street cred with him. “Just be normal. Say something nice, but not boring. Not like, ‘wow, you’re beautiful,’ more like… okay, what do you do for fun?”

“I ride dirt bikes,” he says.

“We can’t work with that,” Kelley sighs. “If you’d told us before, maybe we could have gotten you one. But you’ve made your bed, so whatever. Do you travel?”

“I mean, I guess. I went to Canada last year.”

“Okay, well lie,” Kelley says. “Say you’ve seen all the wonders of the world and she’s by far the most impressive.”

“I don’t even know what the wonders of the world are!”

“Neither does she,” Kelley shrugs. “Trust me on this one.”

\------

Alex is ready to take off her shoes by the time the last limo pulls up. She doesn’t remember a single person’s name, but she sees a production assistant off to the side scribbling furiously on index cards that she knows will become flash cards for her later.

They’ve mostly been unmemorable, save for a guy who literally rode in on a camel and a guy who said “I know you’re a vegan, but I’ve got some meat you can eat.” She almost threw up in her mouth, but she got a signal from the producer behind the camera that she’d have to give him a rose tonight. Mostly harmless loose cannons always get through the initial cut. He had big biceps, so she’ll take him for what he is.

“Let me touch up your makeup,” says Kathy, one of the crew members Alex somewhat remembers, coming up to Alex armed with powder and an array of makeup.

“Okay, but can I take my shoes off while you do?”

“Sure, sweetie,” she says.

“And can someone please get me a water? I’m honestly dying.”

“O’Hara!” Kathy barks at a stunned young woman getting out of the limo. “Get two ice waters, stat!”

“Rookie?” Alex mumbles, trying not to move her lips.

“I’m not that bad,” Kathy laughs, blushing. “But yes. Allie’s friend.”

“Nepotism.”

“You know it, babe.”

“Don’t freak her out too much. I need someone who knows what’s going on even less than I do in my court.”

“She’s been trained well, so I’m not sure about that,” Kathy says just as the girl returns.

“Thank you,” Alex says, holding onto Kathy’s arm so she can slip her feet back into her heels before taking the glass. “This is a godsend. What’s your name?”

“Kelley O’Hara,” the girl says, sticking out her hand to shake Alex’s firmly. “At your service.” She bends low into a dramatic curtsy, and Alex can’t help but smirk.

“Who do you want me to pick out of your limo?”

Kelley shrugs. “They’re all men, so.”

“So…”

“Not exactly my type.”

“Noted,” Alex laughs, almost choking on her water. “At least I don’t have to worry about you sleeping with a contestant.”

“Definitely not,” Kelley says. “Watch out for Brent, though.” Alex smiles, already familiar with the extremely gay field producer who was known to bring nail polish and forbidden gossip magazines to the mansion to get the women to believe he was on their side. She wonders how he’ll fare in a house full of men.

“Quiet!” the director calls. “Clear set and let’s keep this moving!”

\------

Alex is a few minutes into another of the same exact conversation she’s had 15 times tonight when she sees a shadow cross in front of the lights that she can’t look at without squinting and looks up out of instinct. 

“Mind if I cut in?” the man asks. He’s carrying two glasses of something--maybe gin and tonics, or maybe just straight vodka--and his smile belongs in an ad for a dentist’s office.

“Sure,” Alex says with a smile. She turns back to the man she was chatting with. “N...ick?”

“Nathan,” he says graciously. “As long as you remember it for the rose ceremony.”

She grins and stands up to hug him goodbye. Sweet, but not exactly her type. She can think of at least 10 girls she knows who would be perfect for him, though. Is that against the rules, setting up her rejects with her sorority and Bachelor sisters?

“I’m Gabe,” the new guy says. He’s a little scruffier than she usually goes for, but his lips turn up in a friendly smile, revealing two impossibly deep dimples and a bone structure she’d die for.

“I remember you, actually,” she says, sitting back down and patting the cushion next to her. “You have green eyes. I try to make connections, so like, Gabe, green eyes. Both start with G.”

“Nice,” he says. “I like your eyes too.”

“Hey, I never said I liked them, just that they were green,” Alex teases.

He blushes for a second. “Well, I still like yours.”

“I’m kidding, they’re gorgeous.”

“Hey, a third G.”

“Do me,” Alex says. “What would your word association be for me?”

He smiles and backs up slightly as if to take her all in. “I’ll do a little shoutout to my students: A-plus Alex.”

“Students? Are you a teacher?”

“Uh, youth pastor, actually.” Alex’s eyes go wide. “Don’t do that,” he laughs. “But maybe that explains why I brought water.”

“Oh my God, thank you!” Alex exclaims, reaching for one glass. “I mean, oh my gosh.” She takes a deep swallow, thankful for something refreshing.

“I promise I’m a normal guy,” he says, putting his hands up in surrender. “In fact, my kids are the reason I’m here.”

“Oh really?”

He grins, and Alex can tell a producer prepared him for this moment. “Our youth group meets on Monday nights, and I noticed all the girls would stop coming during Bachelor season. So we made a deal. If they came to youth group, we’d start at 6:30 and end at 8 sharp and they could hang out and watch the Bachelor as a group.”

“That’s… concerning.”

“You’d think so, right?” he laughs. “Our head pastor thought so. Some of the parents were concerned. But it went really well. We did a series on relationships and we’d have our Bible study before the show and then during commercial breaks we’d talk about healthy and unhealthy things. It wasn’t even forced, the kids just started talking on their own.”

“Wow,” Alex says. “That’s really cool.”

“Yeah,” he says. “Our turnout was never better. All the girls would show up, and all the guys knew all the girls were there, so they’d come too. They always joked that they would sign me up for the show, but then we watched last season and they could tell I had a major crush on you. They did the whole thing--with my permission, of course--and we were all pretty shocked when it worked out.”

Alex grins. “I’m glad it did.”

“Me too.”

“Okay, cut!” one of the directors calls. “We’re going to switch out guys soon, but can we have a few minutes of just looking at each other?”

Gabe looks baffled, and Alex stifles a laugh. “Go with it,” she mouths. He doesn’t need any more instruction to look her deep in the eyes and take her hand in his, stroking it softly on his knee.

“Alright, cut!” the director yells again.

“Romantic, right?” Alex says with a wink.

—

After a quick make-up check, Alex takes a deep breath before strolling into the living room where all the men are seated.

“Hi, guys,” she says with a shy smile that grows wider when they respond in unison, as they’ve likely been instructed to do. “Thanks so much for being here. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you all tonight, and it’s so gutsy to even step out of that limo. Trust me, I’ve been there.” She tries to ignore the cameras that pan around the room when she bends down slightly to pick up the rose boutonniere. “I want to give this rose to someone who literally had me from hello. Someone who sought me out to make sure I was feeling comfortable tonight and who has pretty amazing eyes.”

She turns toward the couch to find him.

“Brandon?” she says, holding out the rose in both hands. “Will you accept my first rose?”

The blonde breaks into a grin and stands up to accept it. The rest of the guys cheer for him, which makes Alex feel like she made a good choice. Other contestants don’t cheer you on if you’re a jerk.

“I would love to accept this rose,” he says. “And will you accept my kiss?”

Alex smirks and stands on her toes to welcome his lips. The guys are considerably less excited about this development, but she thinks it’s a charming way to get a first kiss. Not to mention he has extremely soft lips. “Thank you,” she says.

“Alright, you two, knock it off,” Chris Harrison says, walking in. “Alex has to go do some thinking now, so when you see her again, it will be at the rose ceremony.”

Alex waves goodbye, chewing her lip nervously. The first one was easy. The next 20 are going to be a little harder. Thank God for the cheat sheet binder in her trailer to remind her who’s who.

——

Kelley is still high on her first impression rose win when Heifetz calls a meeting.

“Okay team, seven sorry bastards are heading home. Allie, you get the first six she calls, plus Mr. First Impression, Brent, you get the next seven, and Kelley, the last seven. May the force be with you all.”

“Wait, but Brandon is mine!” Kelley exclaims. “I gave him his pick-up line and everything. I picked him up and coached him.”

“Nothing matters till after the first rose ceremony, cupcake, how would that be fair?” Heif laughs. “You’re at the bottom of the totem pole right now. Do a decent enough job with your guys and maybe you’ll get a better lot next season.”

Kelley looks around incredulously, waiting for someone to step in on her behalf, but nobody is even paying attention.

“Sorry,” Allie mouths to her with a shrug.

“Alright, places for the rose ceremony!” Jill announces.

Kelley picks up her pace to catch up with Allie. “Allie, what the hell?” she hisses. “You know Brandon is mine.”

“Yeah, and you got your first impression rose cash prize.”

“A hundred bucks?” Kelley scoffs. “You know that means nothing in the grand scheme of things.”

“Kel, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Tell Heif that he’s mine! I’ll trade you whichever guy you want from my group.”

Allie sighs, looking around. “No,” she says. “I’m sorry, Kelley, but I have a lot on the line here too. I don’t have to tell you that first impression roses tend to go far. It’s not about a cash prize here and there, it’s about a promotion and my future.”

“It’s my first year, Al! Throw me a freaking bone.”

“Listen, Kelley,” Allie says. “I love you. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe you could cut it. But I didn’t get any handouts when I started, and you have to bite and scratch and claw to get anywhere on this crew. We all went through it. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of great guys in your group. Get just one of them to hometowns and I guarantee you’ll get to go to Paradise, which is so fun.”

Kelley purses her lips and nods. “Whatever, Allie. I got it. Sorry, I thought our friendship meant something to you, but don’t worry, I got the message loud and clear.”

—

Kelley tries to tune out the first 13 people Alex calls, but she cringes internally every time someone from her limo gets a rose. Why did she invest so much time into them just to get them stolen away? If she had known better—rather, if Allie had fucking informed her about being a lowlife to get ahead—she might have spent her time better.

Alex says “Alex” right before she gets to the last 7, and Kelley does an internal fist pump. No way is she going to pick someone with her same name.

Alex picks up a rose slowly, and when she looks up with a smile, Kelley is almost certain she’s smiling at her.

“Jason M.,” she says. Okay, definitely the cutest Jason. That’s a good sign. Then comes Ben, Kai, and Cody. Kai is memorable for his tattoos and Hawaiian surfer babe vibe, and the other two are… definitely going to take some work for Kelley to remember. Patrick has huge muscles, which Kelley figures Alex must be into. Finally there is Davis, a former professional golfer with great dimples, and Aaron, a radio host. Dud.

Once the director calls cut and the rejected men line up for their hugs with Alex and exit interviews, Kelley gathers her troops.

“Hey guys, well done,” she says. “I know you’re exhausted, but I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Kelley, and I’m going to be your best friend the next 10 weeks. If you make it that long.”

Patrick scoffs, and Kelley looks at him with her eyebrows raised.

“Is that confidence or…?”

“Oh, definitely,” he says with a wink.

“Alright, save that for Alex,” she says. “You might have heard a lot about the role of the producers on this show. I know I have. But I’ll be straight up with you if you’re straight up with me. Seriously. When you win, I win. And when I win, I’m happy. When I don’t win, I get pissed. And when I’m pissed, I’m less willing to do stuff for you.”

“Like what?”

“What’s your name?”

“Cody…”

“Okay, Cody. Producers have Alex’s ear. At the beginning of each week, we’re going to meet with her and talk about the dates, and she’s going to tell us who she wants. In some cases, we can tell her who we think she should take, whether it’s for the storyline or because the date is better suited for some than others. If you want your name to be on date cards, you want to make me happy.”

“Why should we trust you?” Aaron the radio DJ asks. 

“Don’t think about it as trusting me, think of it as being your only choice to win.”

“Don’t you mean fall in love with Alex?” Kai asks with a knowing smirk.

“Winning can mean a lot of different things,” Kelley shrugs. “Don’t bullshit me. Some of you only want to be here to get to Paradise. I don’t judge. But the farther you get, the better off I am. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

“So are we like a team?” Patrick asks again. “Because I didn’t come here to make butt buddies.”

“And I didn’t come here to hear your homophobic jokes,” Kelley snaps. “So yeah, if you want to be high on my power rankings, you’ll kiss my ass. But if you’re teaming up on a group date or making alliances in the house, these are your people. Don’t forget the other contestants have other producers in their ears. Producers who want them to win. If someone is telling you to talk shit to Alex or trying to get you to do something stupid and make an ass of yourself, it’s because another producer sees you as a threat and is trying to get rid of you. Do what you want, don’t listen to me, whatever. It’s your own funeral.”

“Aye aye captain,” Cody says.

“Can we steal these guys for the champagne toast?” Allie asks icily from behind Kelley.

“Have at it,” Kelley says, forcing the fakest smile she can manage on her face. Game on, bitch.

**Author's Note:**

> fav lines? any predictions?
> 
> side note, this whole fuckin plot was written before hannah's season


End file.
